He was pulled beneath a speeding train… and awakened to something beyond this world.

David Ditchfield was saying goodbye to a friend when his coat became trapped in the closing doors of a train. He was dragged under the moving cars, suffering massive trauma and blood loss. As surgeons fought to save his life, David left his body—and entered another realm entirely.

In his near-death experience, David encountered guides who enveloped him in peace, love, and a sense of cosmic belonging. When he returned, everything had changed. Despite having no formal training in art or music, he began composing symphonies and painting vivid works inspired by what he saw on the other side.

This episode explores the mystery of where creativity comes from, and how a brush with death can awaken something extraordinary within us.

Story producer: Kate Sweeney.

For more on David and his symphony, you can read his book, “Shine On: The Remarkable Story Of How I Fell Under A Speeding Train, Journeyed To The Afterlife, And The Astonishing Proof I Brought Back With Me”

Or visit David’s Website, and check out his social medial links:
David on Instagram
David on Threads
David on YouTube
David on Facebook
David on SoundCloud
David on X

Warning: This series contains graphic descriptions of trauma, violence, abuse, and other content that may not be suitable for certain listeners.

* If you have a transformative experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episodes of Alive Again are available now. Search for Alive Again and listen now.

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Before the fall, he was chasing a dream. After the fall, he found his sound.

Musician Blair Crimmins was spiraling—caught between fading dreams, destructive habits, and an unshakable feeling that something needed to change. Then one night, after a day of drinking and being dragged behind his dog on a skateboard, he cracked his skull on the pavement outside his apartment in Atlanta. He nearly died. He lost his sense of smell. He lost himself.

But that accident became a turning point.

In this episode, Blair shares the long and uncertain road to healing—physically, emotionally, and creatively. From vestibular therapy to olfactory training, from depression to the rediscovery of music through piano, banjo, and ukulele, Blair found his way not back, but forward. He left behind the rockstar dream and built something entirely new: a vibrant, genre-defying sound that would become Blair Crimmins and the Hookers.

This is a story about injury, isolation, and rebuilding—not just a career, but an identity. It’s about how the worst night of your life might just be the one that wakes you up.

For more about Blair and his band, Blaire Crimmins And The Hookers, chack out  www.blaircrimminsandthehookers.com  Here you can find his music, videos, a show calendar with all of his upcoming concerts and links to social media. You can also listen to Blair Crimmins And The Hookers on the iHeart Radio App, Spotify, and Apple Music

Story producer: Dan Bush.

Warning: This series contains graphic descriptions of trauma, violence, abuse, and other content that may not be suitable for certain listeners.

* If you have a transformative experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alive Again is available now. Search and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Kathy Preston was just a joyous little girl when the Holocaust tore through her golden childhood in Transylvania. In this unforgettable episode of Alive Again, Kathy recounts—in stunning detail—the moment her innocence ended, hiding in a barn as bayonets stabbed the straw just inches from her face. Miraculously, she survived. But this is more than a story of hiding and escape. Kathy’s story travels through persecution, displacement, and grief—but also healing, forgiveness, and the power of memory. She reflects on the woman who risked everything to save her life, on the trauma that shaped her worldview, and on the stubborn optimism that carries her forward. From being starved and hunted as a child, to building a joyful life with children and grandchildren, Kathy’s journey is a testament to resilience—and a reminder that surviving isn’t just about staying alive. It’s about choosing love over vengeance and passing that choice forward. And now, in her 80s, Kathy speaks to school children across the U.S. about the power of resistance, survival, and the importance of love over hate. 

“There are less and less people alive from the period I am from,” she tells us, “and the more people die, the less availability there is to connect with the past. I speak for the people who can’t speak for themselves.” 

Story producer: Nicholas Tecosky.

For more information about Kathy and her work and books, you can go to www.katipreston.com

Warning: This series contains graphic descriptions of trauma, violence, abuse, and other content that may not be suitable for certain listeners.

* If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Go listen to ALIVE AGAIN. Episodes available now. Search for ALIVE AGAIN wherever you get your podcasts.

First, they prepared for a missile. Years later, it was fire that came.

Annelise Cochran was working aboard a whale research vessel off the coast of Lahaina, Hawaii, when the state's missile alert system issued a terrifying false warning: a ballistic missile from North Korea was inbound. Everyone on board braced for the end. It didn’t come—but in many ways, it was a dark premonition.

Five years later, Annelise found herself facing a real catastrophe. As wildfires swept through Lahaina with brutal speed, she and her friends fought for survival over eight harrowing hours. One of them didn’t make it.

This episode is a haunting and deeply human story of foresight, loss, and the raw resilience it takes to face a world unraveling. It’s a powerful reminder of how community, resourcefulness, and inner strength can anchor us through the chaos of disaster.

Story producer: Brent Dey.

Other Resources:

Annelise GoFundMe

Pacific Whale Foundation

Maui Mutual Aid

Warning: This series contains graphic descriptions of trauma, violence, abuse, and other content that may not be suitable for certain listeners.

* If you have a transformative experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Go listen to ALIVE AGAIN. Episodes available now. Search for ALIVE AGAIN wherever you get your podcasts.

In June 2020, Manuel Bayo Gisbert was kidnapped by armed men and teenagers tortured, and held captive until his family paid his ransom. His story, unfortunately, is a familiar one in Mexico — where more than 116,000 people (as the official number goes) have been disappeared and possibly murdered. But unlike so many, Manuel survived. Unable to shake the ghosts of that night, he set out to photograph and interview families who have lost loved ones to cartel and government-sponsored violence. His perspective is unique in that he developed a relationship with the young men on the night they tortured him, and came to realize that they are victims too – of a much larger system. 

Before his release, covered in blood with multiple broken bones and horribly beaten, Manuel’s captors started a conversation with him while on the ride back down the mountain to let him go. They talked for two hours- while he was coughing up blood and writhing in pain.  They were teenagers- they weren’t in charge of the operation. They were 15 year old boys with assault rifles— they told him that they had targeted him because he was filming and had a camera. They wanted to know if he was a filmmaker. He told them that he was, and they suggested that he make a film about this very incident. They also asked if he would invite them to the screening when he completed the movie. At that moment, he realized that these kids were victims too. And though he’d lost his dignity, and had his sense of self and autonomy was destroyed forever, he still had his humanity— but these kids did not.  These kids had lost their humanity.Now he goes back into the same neighborhoods, where he was abducted,  to interview and help families who have also missing loved ones. Besides the derivative potential of this incredible story, Manuel needs funding for the documentary he’s making about the 116,000 people that have gone missing in Mexico. 

From Alive Again producer and host, Dan Bush.

For more about Manuel and his work, go to: https://www.manuelbayogisbert.com

* If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Search for Alive Again and subscribe now. More episodes available.

He was electrocuted—and came back with a blueprint for existence.

In February 2018, Adam Tapp was doing some woodworking in his front yard when a freak accident electrocuted him. Paramedics revived him—but not before he crossed into another realm.

What he experienced during those moments mirrored earlier psychedelic journeys, yet went even deeper. In his near-death state, Adam gained a radical new understanding of consciousness, fear, and the chemical nature of reality. His fear of death dissolved—and what replaced it was a profound curiosity about life itself.

This episode is a mind-expanding look at how close encounters with death—and the brain’s own internal pharmacy—can shift our understanding of everything.

Story producer: Kate Sweeney.

For more about Adam and his exploration of the fascinating world of psychoactive substances and their therapeutic use, tune in to his podcast Tapped Into Psychedelics

Warning: This series contains graphic descriptions of trauma, violence, abuse, and other content that may not be suitable for certain listeners.

* If you have a transformative experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Go listen to Alive Again. The first 3 episodes are available now. Listen on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In our inaugural episode, brought to us by producer Kate Sweeney, Peter Panagore shares not only the harrowing details of the ice climb that nearly took his life, but the profound spiritual journey that began when he flatlined. He describes his near-death experience with vivid clarity—from the moment he left his body, to the overwhelming presence of divine love, to a soul-shifting life review that changed everything he believed about self, sin, and purpose. For years following the incident, he felt himself to be keenly aware of his body as a crude vessel compared to the perfection of the other side — and in this episode, he tells the story of how he found peace with his impatience to return to the absolute solace he knows awaits us all. We explore his early mystical experiences, his crisis of faith within organized religion, and the decades-long path of integration that followed. Peter speaks candidly about what it means to live after death, how he hid his transformation for years—even while serving as a minister—and how he finally came out as a near-death experiencer. This is a conversation about memory, meaning, divine love, and the lifelong challenge of returning to Earth when you’ve already glimpsed eternity.

* If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] 

About Peter Panagore:

Ex-Reverend Peter Panagore, MDiv, is an acclaimed author and spiritual counselor known worldwide for his best-selling book, Heaven Is Beautiful: How Dying Taught Me That Death Is Just the Beginning. His life is a testament to the power of personal transformation, having undergone profound changes following his two Near-Death Experiences. After graduating with a BA in English Literature from the University of

Massachusetts in 1982, following his first NDE, he redirected his career path from architecture to studying the Classics of Western Mysticism at Yale University’s Divinity School, earning his Master of Divinity.

Peter served liberal Congregational churches and their coastal communities for over two decades while privately pursuing his mystical studies and practices. During his 15-year tenure as a television writer and on-air talent for his morning inspirational spot, he reached 30 million views annually (Nielsen Ratings) on two NBC-TV News Stations across Maine and New Hampshire. His first best-selling inspirational book, Two Minutes for God: Quick Fixes for the Spirit, is a selection from his 1700 TV scripts.

He has practiced single-minded meditation and Kriya yoga for forty years and teaches both. 

Social Media

URL: www.peterpanagore.love

YouTube: @PeterPanagore or https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterPanagore

Instagram: @pbpanagore

Facebook: Peter Panagore, MDiv

TikTok: @peterpanagore

Book Links:

Heaven Is Beautiful: How Dying Taught Me That Death Is Just the Beginning

Two Minutes for God: Quick Fixes for the Spirit 

Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul (Contributor)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ALIVE AGAIN is a weekly podcast that showcases first-hand accounts of Near Death Experiences. Our mission is to find, explore and share these stories to remind us all of our shared human condition. Coming May 13th.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this hauntingly evocative episode, the ferryman, brought to life with the profound resonance of Dan Fogler's voice, guides a soul whose legacy is as complex as it is misunderstood. Mary Mallon, known to history as Typhoid Mary, voiced by Therese McLaughlin, steps aboard, her story a chilling reminder of the fine line between victim and villain, between innocence and culpability.

As the vessel navigates the murky waters of moral ambiguity, Mary recounts her life, marked by an invisible specter that cast a long shadow over her existence. This "shadow man," a personification of death and disease, becomes a constant companion, a dark figure lurking in the peripheries of her vision, a harbinger of the outbreaks that follow in her wake.

In this episode, we delve into the depths of Mary's psyche, exploring the experience of being branded a pariah, the first known asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. Quarantined for nearly three decades, Mary's existence became a living testament to the fear and misunderstanding surrounding infectious diseases– a dread that is alive and well today.

But beneath the surface of this tragic tale lies a deeper question: Was her "shadow man" merely a monster, the embodiment of the death she unwittingly spread, or was he her ally, a warning of the unseen dangers she posed? As Mary reflects on her life, she reveals the anguish and defiance of a woman caught in the gears of the Industrial Revolution, witnessing first-hand the suffering of workers and the impoverished. Did she weaponize herself against the wealthy families she served, turning her condition into an instrument of vengeance or retribution for the injustices she observed? 

Written by Nicholas Tecosky

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In this emotionally resonant and poetic episode of The Passage, the Ferryman navigates the complex structural and emotional landscapes crafted by one of America's most iconic figures. Frank Lloyd Wright, voiced by Michael Cooke (Mulholland Drive), a visionary architect, designer, and educator, awaits in a realm of his own creation—a self-designed purgatory where the lines of genius and sorrow blur.

As they traverse this meticulously constructed space, a manifestation of Wright's philosophy of organic architecture harmonizing with humanity and the environment, the Ferryman engages with the architect in a dialogue that spans the spectrum of creativity and tragedy. Wright reflects on his illustrious career, a span of seven decades during which he shaped the architectural movements of the twentieth century and left an indelible mark. 

However, the conversation soon delves deeper, into the shadows of a personal tragedy that haunted Wright—the brutal mass murder at his beloved Taliesin estate. While he was away, his mistress, her children, and his servants were mercilessly killed, a horrifying act that imprinted itself upon his soul and cast a long shadow over his achievements and days.

In this episode, the Ferryman becomes a visitor in Wright's self-imposed exile, a space where the great architect grapples with the duality of his legacy—of monumental creations and an intimate catastrophe. Wright confronts the haunting questions of regret and blame, pondering the price of greatness and the fragility of the human spirit amidst the structures meant to celebrate and shelter it.

In this episode of The Passage, listeners are invited to explore the inner chambers of Frank Lloyd Wright's mind and heart, where the foundations of brilliance are interwoven with the tremors of personal loss and remorse.

It’s a journey through the corridors of creativity and the hidden alcoves of grief, where the blueprint of regret forms the architecture of a soul seeking peace and understanding.

Written by Christeene Alcosiba

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